Guardian Of The Lost
by FlamingFlyingFoxOfDoom
Summary: A being that shames itself for its failure in the past, trapped inside a prison, useless to take the revenge it so desperately seeks. Until an alchemist stumbles upon it and unknowingly takes it on.
1. Chapter 1

**Howdy, howdy, howdy. Ling's my muse, and I am FlamingFlyingFoxOfDoom. You may call me Fox. Takes place in Brotherhood. (Kinda)**

**Ling: Fox does not own FullMetal Alchemist, or Sanity. **

_**One**_

Edward trudged through the sea of blood, torch in hand as he searched the area for fragments of the mural from Xerxes. Ling followed behind, ignoring the blood that soaked into his shoes.

"Ed, are you sure Envy will even cooperate?" Ling said "He might just leave us here to rot."

"We don't have any choice." Ed replied flatly "The only thing we can do right now is hope we can trust him long enough to get out of here."

The blonde snorted and continue on, the Xingnese prince following him with an annoyed expression. Soon, after they wandered in the near darkness, the two boys came across a looming lair of shadow.

Edward exchanged curious glances with Ling before turning back. The light of the flames teased with the dulled color of the stained glass scattered across the sea. Cold stone walls loomed up, casting darkness where the light of the flames did not reach.

"What do you expect this is?" Ling asked.

"Probably some sort of ruin." Ed answered bluntly. Ling snorted and rolled his eyes.

"I got that much."

"Then why ask me if you know the answer?" Ed growled. "Come on, let's see if we can find anything." Ling sighed and followed the alchemist into the crumbling stone entry way. Ed slid into the lop-sided temple easily, Ling having to duck underneath the rim. To both of their surprise, the floor was free from traces of blood, besides the faint streaks of scarlet.

The pair exchanged glances before continuing into the building. Their footsteps made thudding sounds echo faintly through the destroyed halls. Once, long ago, this may have been a truly beautiful place. The fire's orange glow played with the dulling colors of different mosaics, shimmering multiple colors into the long-forgotten corridors. A plush rug, worn away by years, sloped to a side, dust caked in the bristles of it.

"Ed, I think we should go back." Ling said abruptly.

"Not getting cold feet, are you Ling?" Ed mocked darkly, feigning a smirk.

"Not funny, Ed." The prince snorted, he shuddered, looking around "I sense something…Weird, about this place."

"Like what?" the alchemist questioned.

Ling blinked, taking a few moments to organize his thoughts. At last, he shook his head.

"Something just seems weird. I think we should get out of here." He urged.

Edward muttered under his breath, turning to look deeper into the hall. The whole place seemed lop-sided, being sucked slowly into the everlasting blood. His yellow eyes seemed to flicker as he considered.

"I'm going on ahead." He said "You can stay here, follow me, or try and stumble back in the dark." Ling muttered and walked up to his side. Edward, standing on the higher level of the floor, took great delight in the illusion of height. The pair moved on, Ling murmuring something about the 'presence' of this place.

Ed slowed his pace as they reached two huge wooden doors. Faded carvings sprawled across the edges of the wood, one of the doors had a corner missing, splintering wood threatening whoever may try to enter through the hole.

The alchemist stepped forward, his curiosity gnawing at him. Ling started to protest but stopped himself, knowing full well that Edward wouldn't listen to him. Instead, he followed the blonde as he slivered through the hole.

Ed's eyes widened at first with amazement, and then narrowed with concentration. He placed his flesh hand on the glass of an unusually large mosaic. The glass art stretched across the entire wall, framed by two columns snaked by bronze ivy vines. The picture showed people, wearing the old tunics and cloaks, raising their hands up to the sky. A white dragon-like creature was positioned in a swirl, white wings stretched out behind it. Twin tails swooped bellow it, the ends resembled barbed hooks. Two arms seemed to claw at the sky it was positioned in, no hind legs, five dark talons mark the ends of each foot. Its eyes were a storm-cloud gray.

The alchemist raised a brow at the state the mosaic was in. If this was as old as everything else in this temple, then it should be in shatters or the color dulled. But no, its different colors shone plainly on the smooth glass. Edward looked closer at the people in the mosaic. His golden eyes widened with amazement and shock. The people in the mosaic had golden eyes and yellow hair. Ed shook his head in frustration. Why would it matter if the people in the mosaic had the same eye color as him and his brother?

He found his gaze travelling back up to the dragon's jaws. Ed peered at it, holding up the torch to lighten the glass. Something seemed missing from it…

"Hey Ed, come look at this." Ling called. Edward pried himself from the glass picture and walked over to where the Xingnese prince was, his eyes lingering on the mosaic for a few more moments. He shook his head and turned his attention to his friend. Ling didn't seem to notice Ed's distraction, as he was wondering things of his own. "Ed, don't you find this odd?" Ling referred to the object on a pedestal, the base decorated with wings crossing at the front.

"…Yeah." Ed blinked. On the pedestal (which was in as good a shape as the mosaic) sat a black lantern. It seemed to be woven of black wood, nothing in between the gaping holes to block what fire would have been in it.

Or was in it.

A dim, bluish-light glowed from inside the black wood, giving the lantern an ominous appearance.

"No way could this fire have been burning this long." Ling pondered.

"Or anything in this room should be as good a shape as it is." Ed added. His golden eyes fixed on the lantern.

_Lost one…? _Something whispered in his ear. The alchemist blinked, looking at Ling, assuming he said it. The Xingnese prince seemed too focused on the lantern to notice him.

_Awaken. Awaken me. _It urged quietly to him. Ed shook his head, trying to clear it of the voice.

_Awaken me._

It spoke so bluntly. 'Awaken me.' How and why would or should I? Ed thought bitterly. Even then, he could see the things so clearly in his mind. The lantern. The dragon's empty jaws. Ed handed the torch abruptly to Ling. Startled, he took it, watching the alchemist. Ed swallowed, not sure what and why he was doing.

_Release me. Awaken me._ It urged him. The alchemist picked up the lantern, staring at it in confusion. Why was he doing this? What was he doing? He turned on heel, Ling watching in confusion as the blonde approached the mosaic. The arm holding the lantern went limp to his side. The fire was not hot, or even warm. It wasn't _cold_ either.

Yet it caused a feeling of some forgotten nostalgia snaking through him. Like visiting an almost forgotten relative. Somewhat soothing as well, as if someone he missed suddenly stood at his side.

He lifted his free hand and, still not sure what he was doing, placed it tentatively on the hook of one of the dragon's tails.

It shifted.

The lantern's light grew brighter, engulfing the entire chamber in a bluish light. The bronze ivy seemed to glow, the mosaic slowly melted to life. The dragon twisted its head, whipped its tails, flapped its wings. It spiraled in the mosaic, appearing to come closer to Edward, but never changing its distance. The gray eyes seemed all too real as it stared into his own.

The people seemed to be frozen for a moment, then shattered like they were made of the glass they were inscribed onto. Screams rang in Edward's ears. Yet he couldn't look away from those eyes. The wings flapped, he could feel a wind buffet him. The ivy seemed to tighten around the columns, more leaves sprouting from the vine.

_I thank you, young one of the lost._

"Ed?" Ling said, snapping in front of Edward's face. "Ed, are you still there?"

The alchemist shook his head, blinking rapidly when he steadied. The room was as it was moments ago. The bronze shone dimly under the influence of the torch light.

"Yeah, sorry." He muttered. "Let's go meet up with Envy." Ling nodded, obviously still concerned about what had just happened.

What the hell was going on?

* * *

"So here we go." Ed muttered to himself, clapping his hands. The transmutation circle glowed brightly, a huge eyes snapping open in the middle. Remember how it was like…

"Ling, jump in!" Ed ordered. Ling's eyebrow quivered as he looked uncertainly into the eye.

"You better know what you're doing Ed!" he shouted before stepping in, immediately being broken down. Once Envy was gone, he entered himself. He half expected to be completely destroyed by the portal. He hoped he would live to see Alphonse again.

He saw Al's body.

It wretched his chest, when his little brother's body refused to come with him. 'You're not my soul.' He had told him. Ed reassured him, that he WOULD be back, he WOULD get him back to normal. He WOULD keep his promise to his little brother.

And he was in the portal again. Spiraling into the truth.

And it seemed to follow him.

_I thank you, once more._ It whispered in his ear. His eyes snapped open, looking into the eyes of the dragon. The lantern was clamped in its jaws. These eyes were not the illusion of the glass, not the fake picture. These were real. They stared right into his very being, and he felt completely vulnerable to its trapping gaze.

Its claws were suspended above his chest, the tails wrapped around him and the tips of the hooks prodding into his stomach. Its wings were idle on its back, and it stared down on him. It had no scales, had no hair or fur. It seemed almost transparent.

_I apologize to you, Young Edward. _It spoke without moving its mouth _I appear not to be at the peak of my strength, and I beg your pardon for lingering with you. _Then it simply disappeared like mist, evaporating into the darkness of the truth.

"Brother!" he forced his eyes open at the sound of his younger brother's voice. It wasn't humorous in the slightest how weary he was. Though Ed couldn't suppress the feeling of happiness and triumph.

"We did it Ling." He coughed, touching his fists to Ling's "We made it back."

Which was where he met Father. The leader of the homunculi, who seemed to ignore the laws of Equivalent Exchange. He fixed Edward's broken arm and regained Alphonse's missing hand, without losing anything. Envy denied the promise he had made to Edward and Ling inside of Gluttony's stomach. Ling was denied the healing Edward and Alphonse received, and now 'Father' was tempted to be rid of him.

And now the Xingnese prince was in this situation. The Philosopher's Stone seeped into his blood stream, and he did not struggle when he had heard it may kill him. Envy pinned down Edward and Alphonse onto the hard stone floor.

Ed fumbled with the gun Hawkeye had given him, and turned to shoot Envy. He looked straight into the eyes of one of the souls he used uncaringly as energy. It angered him. Something inside of him roared to life, erupting into pure rage that devoured him.

"Can't shoot such a sad face, can you Pipsq-" Envy started to mock, interrupting himself with his own scream of agony. He reeled back in pain, dust devouring his severed leg. Al scrambled to his feet, taking the opportunity to free himself. The homunculus thrashed, looking for Edward, expecting him to be running.

He simply stood there, eyes narrowed dangerously with hatred that seemed to shake everyone in the room.

**Fudge, that's a lot of words.**

**Ling: Not really.**

**Fox: For me it is. Review?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Look! Another Chapter!**

**Ling: So it is.**

**Fox: Yay! Me no own FMA.**

**Ling: Warning: This chapter may include confusing things.**

_**Two**_

"Interesting." Father murmured as he watched Edward approach Envy. The blonde's yellow eyes were narrowed in hatred, the rest of his face expressionless.

"Brother…?" Al gaped.

Father nodded slightly at the newly born Greed, who instantly got the message and shrugged. He calmly strolled over to the raging blonde and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Calm down Kid, or you're gonna do something you're going to regret." He suggested. Ed simply grabbed his wrist, stepped back, and tossed Greed onto the stone floor. A loud _CRACK_ echoed loudly through the chamber and Greed was laying face-up in a shallow ditch of shattered stone. The blonde walked past him and advanced at Envy.

Father's brow furrowed. "How displeasing…" he muttered. Greed stumbled up to his feet and cracked his neck.

"That was unpleasant." He mumbled. He raced forward and skidded in front of Ed. The alchemist met his eyes when Greed hauled him up by his collar. "Listen here, I think you should just calm down-…"

Edward shortened the distance between their faces suddenly, so their noses were almost touching. His flesh hand clutched the homunculus by his bangs and held him there.

"And you wish to become a King?" he whispered. Ling's eyes widened and his mouth set itself into a frown. The alchemist squeezed Ling's wrist, making him lax his grip, and used his shoulders as a hurdle, leaping over them and landing with ease behind. Greed wrestled control again and turned and glared at him, his fists clenched.

"So, you want to fight, is that it?" Envy taunted, regaining himself. Ed bolted forward, digging his toes into Envy's leg and propelling himself upward. Envy shook himself, trying to throw him off. The blonde didn't seem fazed in the slightest, besides the slight stumble. He dug his metal hand into the homunculus's neck, digging in deep.

Envy screamed out in agony, thrashing about. Father blinked and a hand of stone shot out of the ground, surging toward Ed. The blonde looked to the side slightly and ripped his arm out of Envy, sliding down the side of the homunculus. He skidded on his feet at the floor and turned his attention to Father.

Silently, he approached, not caring for the two homunculi following his every move with distrusting eyes. Father simply waited for him to approach. The short blonde stopped a few feet from him, his eyes flickering.

"…So, you've awaken." Father said simply. "What a shame, now this is going to be much harder."

"…Awaken…?" Al blinked in confusion. He looked at his older brother, trying to figure out why he was acting like this. How he managed to stay so calm as well…

"And you were in charge of the massacre of people." Ed stated bluntly.

Envy lumbered over, his head hovering above the blonde.

"Oh, you mean the Ishbalan Massacre?" he cackled, throwing his head back "That was just too easy to start!" Ed simply blinked, his eyes drifting to the entrance of the chamber. Father followed his gaze to where the Ishbalan with the scar stood.

"You were the cause of that massacre?" Scar growled. Envy shrugged his massive shoulders.

"Whoops. Didn't know you were here." Envy said.

"Be quiet." Father ordered simply. Scar flexed his hand, his eyes narrowing.

"You will pay." He threatened, racing at Father. Ed jumped back, spinning around Envy's legs and halting at Alphonse's side. His yellow eyes drifted toward his armor for a few moments. Al blinked in confusion as Edward turned his attention away from him.

"Brother, what's going on?" Al asked. The blonde ignored him and charged at Father, skidding in a semi-circle to get behind him. Greed lurched forward, blocking Edward's path. Ed slowed simply, stopping in front of him. The avarice hardened his arm, making the claw-like structure to surround his hand and wrist. He clawed out at Ed's face and the blonde countered easily, landing a blow between Greed's shoulder blades.

Pain ricocheted up his leg and his eyes widened slightly as he stumbled backwards, falling to his knee. Greed smirked triumphantly and stood over the blonde. Ed glare back at him and attempted to stand up, grimaced, and fell back to the ground.

"Brother!" Al screeched, racing forward to aid him. Mei squealed behind him, Gluttony chasing after her. Al dug his heels in the ground and turned to her and back to his brother. The armored teen recoiled from his brother when Gluttony whacked the small girl against a slab of rock, her falling to the ground. He kicked Gluttony away from her and quickly gathered Mei up in his arms. Al looked back at his brother as he ran out with the girl, trusting in Ed not to get in too much trouble.

The blonde forced himself to his feet, ignoring the pain that racked his body and ripped through his flesh. The avarice wrapped one clawed hand around his throat and brought down the other one behind his head. Ed vomited up blood and his vision faded into nothingness.

**LINE**

The stone door creaked open, shedding a gap of light into the dark room. He walked forward tentatively to the edge of the array. At his feet lay the limp form of a boy with blonde hair. His wide yellow eyes were full of fear and agony, blood trickling down the corner of his mouth and onto the high-collar white shirt. His short hair was tussled about, his bangs trailing on the stone.

The one who stood over the body knelt down calmly, closing the young boy's eyes. He stared at him for a moment before getting up and continuing to the next limp corpse. Fear gripped him, as well as an irrational sense of calm.

A man with dark hair fell over his narrowed eyes, his blue jacket stained with dark red. His mouth set in a snarl and his white-cladded hand in position to snap. The red circle for flame alchemy torn. The yellow eyes of the one looking down on him glazed with pain. He looked around the room, trying to ignore the twisting of his stomach. Why was he feeling so calm at the same time? Three more corpses were scattered around the room. He recognized two of them, his childhood friend and the lieutenant….

His feet led him to stand over the third one, a woman with blonde hair falling around the ground. A scar stretched under the glaring left eye. A circlet of silver wrapped around her head, and her eyes flickered with golden fire.

He bit his lip as he looked down at her. Why did it bother him so much? He didn't even know this lady….

The corpse straightened her mouth as blood dripped down the corner of her lips. Her eyes shifted to glare directly into his own.

'You failed.' She mouthed.

Silence.

"I know." He replied with a voice not his own. Slimy ooze draped itself around his shoulder and encircled around him. Deformed arms and hands plucked at his clothes. Voices whispered their torment into his ears. The woman closed her eyes and went limp as he was dragged upwards. Teeth clamped around him, blocking all traces of light from his eyes.

He deserved this.

**Wow. Look how short this chapter is.**

**Haha. I fail to update.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well here's another chapter. Took about 5 months to update this apparently. Oh wells, I don't own FMA.**

_**Three**_

Ed groaned, twisting his head slightly. His head throbbed in rhythm with his heart. Slowly and painfully, he blinked open his eyes. Edward winced at the bright sunlight that filtered in onto his face.

What happened? Where was he? The blonde grimaced as he forced himself to sit up. He gingerly placed his hand on his head. The question repeated in his mind.

What happened?

His hand dropped back into his lap. A gray haze lined his vision. Edward noted he was in a bed. Not exactly a hospital bed…. But… Where was he? The boy vacantly slid the cloth of the bedspread between his fingers.

Envy pinned him to the ground. He reached for the gun and then… And then what?

Ed collapsed back down onto the bed, unable to sit up any longer. His head still hurt like hell. But then…

He didn't have time to think about _that._ In between first seeing it and meeting the homunculi. Now though… What was it? That- white dragon? But dragons don't exist, right? How could that be a dragon?

"It called me 'young one of the lost.'…" Ed mused to himself. "What does it mean… 'The Lost'….?"

The door creaked open. The blonde laboriously pushed himself up, transferring his gaze to the doorway across the room. The gray haze blurred over and he rubbed his eyes to rid himself of it.

"So you're awake, FullMetal." Someone said with high morale. Ed blinked as his vision cleared, seeing no other than the Fuhrer standing in the door way. He strolled over to his bedside and pulled up a stool, sitting down. "How are you feeling?"

"Where am I?" Ed blurted. Bradley chuckled and smiled.

"You're in one of my guest rooms. You took quite a beating there."

"Took a beating?" Ed repeated blankly. "What do you mean by take a beating…?"

That doesn't make sense. Sure he fought with Envy inside Gluttony's stomach, but then that Father guy healed him. How did he get a beating? Is that way he feels like crap?

"I guess you don't remember what happened then?" The Fuhrer said "It's all right I'm sure." He got up and walked over to the door. "I'll go tell your brother that you're awake."

Ed nodded absent mindedly and slumped against the wall. What happened? Why was he at the Fuhrer's estate-?

His eyes widened. Is the leader of the country somehow connected to the homunculi? But that'd mean the entire military is involved with their schemes…

_It would appear so. _

Ed let out a startled gasp and clutched at his scalp. It was that voice again… His thoughts whirled in confusion and curiosity. Was it just his thoughts or a voice…? No, it wasn't him. This presence…

"Who are you?_" _Ed muttered to himself, dropping down his hands. Like a flickering flame of a candle, the being seemed to have disappeared. That was the…The dragon, wasn't it?

"Brother?" a certain suit of armor said in the door frame. Ed jolted upright from the sudden intrusion of his thoughts. Alphonse hurried over to his side and leaned in a close "Brother, I have to tell you something about the Fuhrer…"

"What about the Fuhrer, Alphonse?" Bradley smiled from behind the armored spirit. Al straightened up, shocked.

"Just telling brother you let him rest in one of your guestrooms!" Al said quickly, turning to face him. Ed narrowed his eyes at the leader of the country, trying to figure things out. It was like trying to put together a puzzle with half of the pieces missing.

"Are you feeling better, Brother?" Al asked. The blonde's yellow eyes darted to Al, before looking at the Fuhrer. It was obvious something wasn't right…. Never less, he nodded.

"Yeah, I'm feeling better. But… what exactly happened?" Ed blinked.

"Ah yes, I'll explain." The fuhrer said. He flicked his fingers, motioning for Edward to get up. "But you must be hungry now, so I'll tell you what happened over some lunch."

Ed frowned, feeling uneasy. Alphonse shifted beside him. That didn't help. Obviously the younger brother wanted to tell him something, but couldn't…

His stomach growled. Ed chuckled sheepishly before tossing the sheets aside and getting out of the bed. No use going hungry thinking about it…

As he followed Bradley down the hall, his brother walking besides him, he 'heard' that voice again. It was really faint, like a moth's wing brushing his arm in the night. Something you can barely notice but know it's there. What it said was vague, and didn't encourage him that anything was right at all.

_Be aware._

* * *

"Why the hell are we letting him live!?" A very palmtree-like individual demanded, smashing his fist against the wall. "He woke the damn thing up! That could ruin our entire plan!"

"We have to remember that Edward is a sacrifice." Father said bluntly, not looking at Envy. In front of him was a playing-table like stand with odd-shaped figurines. He muttered to himself, placing two of the figures standing up. He placed another on a corner of a pentagon like array. Frowning, he tilted the figure on its side. "All though it is troubling it managed to remain in this world…"

Whatever action he took, his plan would be delayed. One way he'd lose a sacrifice, another, the damn thing would interfere. In the darkness, he smirked menacingly.

"Well now, at least this will be more interesting than I first thought…" he mused. With a low chuckle he continued "Try your worst, 'Guardian'."

_From where Edward sat at the Fuhrer's table, the hair on the back of his neck rose. An irrational rage coursed throughout him, making him grind his jaws together._

"Are you all right Brother…?" Al asked "You look really mad for some reason…"

Ed said nothing and drank his tea. Rage that wasn't his was curling to the surface like flames. Confusion pushed it down. What the hell was wrong with him?

**Wow, short chapter. Huh, I appear not to care. I have a really hard time writing these slow ones..**

**Ling: But you have to, otherwise the story seems rushed.**

**Fox: When did you become the all might story critic?**

**Ling: Since fish.**

**Fox: My logic was used against me. Well anyway, please review.**

**Ling: (Logic…?)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi everybody! I'm updating! See? :P Well….Uh…. me no own fma…**

_**Four**_

Ed's head was throbbing as the pressure around his chest intensified, squeezing his torso to the point he felt like something was choking him. The alchemist struggled to keep the irrational rage that was coursing through his entire being from erupting.

It was true he was used to having random spouts of anger, but none like this. His was more of an annoyed kind of rage. This… this was just intense. This anger was raging like flames, burning through his body the more the Fuhrer talked. It seemed to be fueled by pure hatred. Edward could tell Alphonse wanted to talk to him about something, but the alchemist couldn't quite tell what. The armored spirit shifted in his seat as Bradley spoke.

Suddenly it was gone. Just gone. One moment the anger was riveting through his entire body, giving him the urge to strangle the Fuhrer, but then it was just _gone._ How was that possible? How could something so terrible, so fueled by hatred and rage be gone like a flash of lightning?

"Do you understand?" Bradley asked, jolting Ed out of his thoughts.

"Yes Sir." Ed nodded, casting a glance at Al and hoping the armored spirit would fill him in later.

"Yes." Al muttered "Um…Sir, if not any trouble… I was… I was hoping that Brother and I could continue our search for a way to regain our original bodies."

"I see no problem with that." The Fuhrer nodded. "If there aren't any other questions, then you two are dismissed."

"Thank you, Sir." Al bowed, getting up and waiting for Ed to do the same. Edward got to his feet and followed his brother out of the Fuhrer's dining area and out into the canopied section of the courtyard. Once the door was closed behind them, Alphonse's armor radiated both relief and fear.

"Brother, I need to tell you something very important-" he trailed off and the glowing orbs that served as his eyes seemed to have caught on something behind him.

Ed blinked in confusion and turned around, trying to see what Al had noticed. The blonde couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, all that was there was the lengthening shadows of the late evening. What was worrying Alphonse so much?

"Wow, the Tiny Alchemist is awake!" a young voiced chirped. A vein bulged on Edward's forehead and he glared down at the small boy that commented.

"What was that you microscopic little shrimp…" He growled, his teeth grinding together.

"Wow, you really do hate it when people call you small." The boy grinned.

"Heeheheh, you little r-"

The sound of the door opening behind them caught Ed's attention. The Fuhrer stood in the doorway, smiling as he caught sight of the child.

"Oh, so I see you've met my son." Bradley smiled. "I hope he isn't being a bother."

Ed snorted. "This is your son? Selim?"

"Yep!" the boy's eyes sparkled "I really admire you, Mr. FullMetal Alchemist, Sir!"

The blonde smiled a bit. "Really? You admire me?" If everything was normal, Edward would've been feeding his ego off of Selim's admiration. But the events of the previous day caught up with him and, despite all of the rest he had gotten, he still felt like he was going to collapse at any moment.

"Yes sir, Mr. FullMetal Sir!" Selim grinned as he saluted childishly.

Al shifted his feet. "Uh, well it's nice to meet you, Selim. But my Brother is tired so I think it'd be best if we went back to our apartment now..."

Selim frowned "But I just met you."

"Come on now, Selim." The Fuhrer chided, putting a hand on the child's head. "I'm sure you can find another time to talk to Edward." The boy smiled up at him.

"Yes, Father." He bowed a bit to Ed. "Next time we could talk more, okay?" With that the child nodded to the Fuhrer and skipped away, leaving the brothers with the leader of the country once more.

"He's such a good boy." Bradley smiled. With a nod to the blonde, he continued "You do look rather tired, Edward. Go get some rest before you go back to your search, all right?"

"Yes, Sir." Ed nodded. Al muttered a farewell and the two of them started on their way back to the small apartment they shared. Ed's golden eyes flicked to where his younger brother was walking beside him. "What was it you wanted to tell me?"

Al was hesitant. "It was nothing, just my imagination." The elder Elric kept his eyes on the armored spirit for a moment before looking forward again. It was obviously not 'nothing', but Alphonse had some reason to not tell him. But if it was important, he'd find a way, wouldn't he? Al's clever so even if they were being watched-

Being watched.

Edward halted suddenly, confusing Alphonse. Being watched. Why would they be watched? What reason was there? It was true the brothers had a tendency to stick their noses in places they don't belong, but that never kept Al from telling Ed anything, or had it? Was there something Al was afraid of? Something bad that might happen if he told Ed something? From how Al sounded, it was important.

His eyes darted to the shadows. Who was watching them?

Or rather, _what_ was watching them?

* * *

As soon as Edward walked through the door, the world started spinning. He heard what may have been Alphonse's voice, or perhaps that was something else? Some part of his mind realized he collapsed onto the ground, but the rest of his mind was thrown in a relentless current.

Alphonse's voice was faint, but there was so much fear and concern in his voice that Edward shivered and tried to stumble to his feet.

"I'm f-" he tried to say. His body refused to do as his mind said and he fell forward. Al caught him and held his older brother against his breastplate. The metal felt ridiculously warm against Ed's face as his vision blurred. The gray haze that plagued him when he first woke returned, seeping into his vision and making everything look dulled.

Raged flared up inside of him and then subsided just as quickly. Ed had a moment to mull over his confusion before the darkness took him.

_ Young One of the Lost._

…**Was this chapter any better? Sorry if not. ;_; Well I tried… Uh… Please review?**


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